Friday, 12 December 2008

Rangas see red over insulting nickname

Sticks and stones may break bones but names like 'Pom' and 'Ranga' can be just as injurious, according to some on the receiving end of the common taunts.

In fact, so strongly do some British and ginger-haired Australians feel, they have petitioned to have the terms removed from the Macquarie Dictionary.

[...]

As for redheads, Ms Butler said Australians terms like 'Ranga' - popularised by the ABC comedy series Summer Height's High - were far less malicious than some used in places like northern England, where attacks against "Gingerism" had led to actual violence.

The practice has also spread across the Atlantic, with a Canadian group created on social networking site Facebook declaring National Kick a Ginger Day in late November which attracted more than 5000 members.